Ear Infestation
by Megan Sleevewillow
Summary: THE Kiss Sequel I promised. Megan finds out about a plan to infest everyone in the school, and if the Animorphs don't stop it, they're history......
1. The Lake

My name is Megan. I'm an Animorph. I can't tell you my last name or anything personal. And it's not just because I don't want you to find me. I don't want _them_ to find me. They are the Yeerks. Evil slugs that crawl into your ear and wrap themselves around your brain. They control you. They _own you. I don't know what it feels like, but Jake does. He was once a Controller, but we starved the Evil slug out of his ear. I wish it was the same story with my other brother, Tom.  He's a controller. _

We Animorphs fight the Yeerks. We have the power to change into any animal we touch. I bet you're now thinking _Whoah. Looks like this person is in a looney bin or is on some drugs. I'm not even sure if I'm not. Maybe I am in a rubber room in a nice, cozy straitjacket, lost in my Hallucinations. But as far as I know, all of this is true._

This particular day was Friday, 7th hour. You know when you stare intently at the clock, hoping it will go faster. The bell rang and my friend Santiago and I joined the mass of bodies to our lockers.

"Later Moose!" He yelled as he joined his big brother. I shook my head at his nickname. I was tired. I woke up at about 6 only getting 4 hours of sleep. All I wanted to do was go home, get on my computer or take a nap. But no, we were going to a family barbecue for the Sharing. 

The Sharing is a front to try and gain willing hosts for the Yeerk Invasion. Tom is part of the Sharing. He had been trying to get my parents to join lately, but they had only agreed to this barbecue.

I rode my bike home. I threw open the kitchen door, followed by Homer, and jogged upstairs. I threw my backpack on my bed. My room was basically picture perfect. For my last birthday, my parents let me redo it any way I wanted. Rachel helped me and long story short, my dad spent a little over what he thought he would, about, oh, $300 or so.

I fed my hamster, Choda Boy, and opened up the window in my window seat. Maybe Ax would come by. Ax and I usually spent Friday nights at his scoop, watching TV, and I needed to tell him what was going on. Soon enough, a Northern-Harrier flew in my window and perched on the computer chair.

Hello, Megan. Are you ready to come and watch TV with me tonight? The Spiderman will be on the HBO. He said.

"Ax, I think I'll be late. We have a family thing to do with the Sharing." I said and bit my lip. We stood in silence for a while. 

I understand. He said finally. Is Tom trying to persuade your family to join? He tried to keep his voice casual but I could hear the hatred in it.

"Yes, but my parents aren't that interested." We stood in silence again until the phone rang, which almost made us jump out of our skins. 

I picked up the phone." Hello?"

"Megan." My mother's voice came from the other end. "Is Jake home?"

"No."

"Ok. I'll pick you guys up at 4:30. Wear something nice."

I Groaned. "Mom, it's going to be at the lake. I'm not wearing a dress there."

"Ok. Then bring your bathing suit and wear your Capri's with a nice top. Tell Jake to do the same."

"You want him to wear my clothes?"

"You know what I mean. I gotta go, love you." She hung up.

I groaned again. "I gotta get dressed Ax. I'll see you tonight." I preened his feathers before he flew out the window.

I changed and headed downstairs to make a Jell-O salad for the barbecue. Tom and Jake walked in the door. Tom walked upstairs with a "Hi." Jake rested his backpack on the counter. He looked at the box of Jell-O, cottage cheese, and whipped cream on the counter. "What's that for?"

"Ax and I have decided to experiment." I said with a smile. Jake looked shocked at first, and then realized I was joking.

"Don't ever say that again or I may have to hurt you very bad." He said with a grin

"You could beat me?" I asked, skeptically. "I have two words for you. What. Ever." I poured all the ingredients together and started to stir them. "Mom wants you to change into Capri's and a nice shirt. Plus, bring your bathing suit." He nodded and started up the stairs.

"Keep your eyes open."

One hour later, all 5 of us were piled into out van, heading up the road to the lake. I was listening to Avril Lavigne, while my brothers and dad were arguing about football teams.

The lake was full of people milling about, some water skiing, some swimming, others pigging out. Then we saw _him. The human morph of Visser 3. He just radiated evil all over. He walked stiffly over to us. He looked out of place in his business suit. _

"Mr. Visser!" Tom said jovially, even though I could sense the fear from him.

"Good to see you all again." He said, walking over. He shook my parents and Jake's hands, but stopped and looked at me. "Who is this?" I hadn't met him like this before. When my parents and Jake met him before, I was sick.

"This is my little sister Megan, the one I've told you about." Tom said. _That_ made me nervous. If he was talking to the Visser about me, they were probably looking to make me a host.

"A pleasure, all the same." Visser 3 said, and shook my hand. It was all I could do not to jerk away from him. I put on a smile.

We put the salad I made on the table and ate. After a while, Jake went off to go water skiing with Tom and my parents had snuck off somewhere. I changed into my bathing suit and sat in a chair in the evening twilight. I heard the Visser's voice pass by.

"—the infestation at the school will start next week. I want answers, not excuses to why it hasn't started!"

I looked over my shoulder and saw him talking to Chapman, walking behind some rocks. I jogged into the trees and morphed to fly as quickly as possible, then headed for those rocks. I perched on a mossy surface and listened intently to their conversation.

"B-but Visser, the nurse is not infested yet-"I heard Chapman stutter.

"Then fix it! There must be over 1000 host bodies in that school. We could take them over, school by school. Now stop sputtering and do it!"

"V-visser, I-I'm not sure how you mean to do it."

I heard the Visser growl. "Your intelligence is far beneath quota. The humans go into the Nurse for a necessary ear checkup. Make up some lie. We insert the Yeerks into their ears and they leave as one of us."

I had heard enough. I powered my wings and flew off. The Yeerks were going to infest the school. _My school. And unless the Animorphs did something, we were all history._


	2. The Barn

Later that night, I called the rest, even Ax, for a meeting at Cassies' barn.

       "Ok. It's 9:00 at Night. I have some really important video game playing to do, so why are we here?"

       "Good question, Megan. You didn't even tell me." Jake added.

       "Ok. I heard Visser 3 and Chapman talking, so I morphed to the fly and-"I was cut off.

       "What?! Someone could've seen you!" Jake broke in.

       "I didn't get caught, your grace, so calm down. And I made sure no one saw me." I muttered. "Well, as I was saying, I morphed to fly and followed them. They are going to infest everyone at our school."

       They all stared blankly at me. "What do you mean?" Marco asked.

       "They are going to pretend that we all have to go to the Nurse and get our ears checked for infection or something. Then, they will insert the Yeerks into our heads. So unless we stop them, we're toast." I explained. 

       "So, it's like a 1 hour photo for infestation?" Rachel asked.

       I threw my hands up in the air. "How am I supposed to know?! I just heard the plan, that's it! The point is, we have to stop them. Destroy the school or something."

       Marco started laughing. "Destroy the school? I'm up for that."

       "Wait." Cassie said. She had been tending some sick goslings. "Wouldn't the Yeerks find it suspicious if we attacked that one school? That only school?"

       "So, Cassie's saying we should attack other schools as well?" Marco asked.

       "No. Just that we should maybe attack some other places that are Yeerk controlled too."

       I have an Idea. Let's attack Chapman's house too. He's connected with the school. Tobias spoke up. 

       "Attack Melissa's house AGAIN?!" Rachel blew up. 

       "What choice do we have?" I asked. "If we don't do it, we're history. Besides, summer's almost here, maybe they'll let us out early then we won't be infested."

       "Does anyone have the feeling that this is too easy to solve?" Jake asked.

       "Yeah." Marco said. "But hey, we get to destroy the school."

       Jake rubbed his eyes. "Okay. Tomorrow morning, we meet here at about 9:00 and discuss what to do."

       Ax, who had kept quiet, walked up to me. Are we still going to watch TV together tonight?

       "Yeah." I started to morph to horse so I could keep up with Ax. Jake walked up to me as I fell on all fours.

       "Where are you going?" He asked.

       With Ax. I said and took off galloping. I didn't care if he didn't want me to. I was with the alien I loved.


	3. Loss

Ax and I watched Spiderman like we planned, and then I headed home. I flew through my still open window and landed on my computer chair. I demorphed and fell on the floor. Jake walked in a few minutes later. "Where were you?" He asked

       "I was with Ax, I told you." I said as I walked into my bathroom and turned on the water for a bath.

       "Yeah. But I was hoping you would come home so mom and dad wouldn't get suspicious if you weren't in your bedroom. I don't think you and Ax should spend Friday nights together anymore." He got that Serious Leader look in his eyes.

       "So just because you and Cassie don't do anything like that, Ax and I can't?" I asked. 

       "No." he blushed. "I don't really think you and Ax should be with each---. Look, it could be dangerous. I gotta go to sleep. Night." He closed the door behind him. I took a book and threw it against the door. He had been pissing me off lately. 

       Early the next day, I woke up and morphed to the Rough-Legged Hawk and flew to Cassie's barn. The rest were already there.

       "We've formed a plan." Rachel said as I demorphed. "Cassie, Jake, and Tobias will all morph to elephant or rhino, then destroy Chapman's' house tomorrow. The rest of us will go and destroy the school. The rest of the group will join us and help total the school."

       "Bet you guys have been up forever devising that complex plan." I muttered, rubbing sleep out of my eyes.

       "Actually, Marco came up with it." Cassie said.

       "Ah, yes. My master plan is actually going to work." Marco made his voice husky as if he were about to cry. "I finally get to see it at work!" He broke down into pretend sobs.

       We all left about 30 minutes later. I went home and did some math homework (yuck!)

       At about 4:00, I met Marco, Ax, and Rachel at the school. It was dark inside.

       "Ready?" Rachel whispered. "Let's do it!"

        As I focused on the elephant DNA inside me, my nose became a huge gray lump, then unfurled onto the ground. My legs thickened to the size of tree trunks. I grew as big as a house, covered with tough skin.

        As the others finished their morphs, I let out a bellow and charged for the wall.

       WHAM!

       WHAM!  
       On the second hit, the wall crumbled. 

       I made a door for you guys! I shouted gleefully. I charged in and ran through walls of lockers. Books and shredded paper flew everywhere. I ran blindly into the janitor's closet that used to be an entrance to the Yeerk pool. I tore it apart with my tusks, not realize I was _reopening the entrance._ I charged out to the lockers and kept on tearing them up. I heard the others making their destruction.

        My first clue that the Yeerk pool was opened up was a searing pain in my leg. I looked over my shoulder and saw dozens of Hork-Bajir behind me with Dracons. And my leg was gone.

       "HREEHUH!" I bellowed in pain as I slumped to the floor. The Hork-Bajir all leveled their Dracons at me, ready to kill me. A mass of gray flesh hurtled past me into them.

       Megan, demorph! Ax said.

       I slid into the girl's bathroom. Someone had made a nice big hole. I demorphed and took a few deep breaths. The others weren't here yet and we needed a swift killing machine. I focused on the lioness; my battle morph. Sandy fur covered me. A tail shot out of my spine and my teeth grew sharp. Before the morph was complete, I charged out, slashing and ripping. I heard bellows in the distance. The others were coming.

       Jake! I cried as I pounced on a Hork-Bajir, The Yeerk pool was reopened here. There are DOZENS of Hork-Bajir. We need you now!

        I followed pained bellows into the auditorium. Ax had a huge burn on his flank. I pounced on a Hork-Bajir and ripped out his throat. Ax! Demorph!

       I took down all the Hork-Bajir, but more were piling in. Ax stood as his true form, an Andalite, up on the stage. I spotted a Hork-Bajir, cutting the rope that held the lights and curtain. It must have weighed a hundred fifty pounds.

       I took out another Hork-Bajir and leaped up onto the one cutting the ropes. I held all the last ropes in my teeth as Ax fought off the Hork-Bajir pouring into the room.

       A rhino suddenly burst through the wall, spraying us with bits of sheetrock.

       Megan, let go of the ropes and get into the hall! Jake commanded.

       No! If I do, the curtain holder, lights, _everything_ will come down on Ax! I retorted.

       Megan, do what I say!

       No!

       Yes!

       Damn it, people's lives are at stake!

       So is Ax's!

       Jake barreled down and threw me with his horn. The ropes escaped from my mouth. The whole metal structure of the stage came crashing down on Ax.

       Ax? AX?! I screamed, pawing at the wreckage.

       Megan… Megan... He moaned weakly in thought speak.

       Morph to something small Ax, morph to something small! I commanded. I didn't know if he did as I pawed at the wreckage. Jake ran over and butted me to the side.

       Without warning, All the Hork-Bajirs' Dracons fired at the stage, blowing it up.

       AX! NO! NO! I screamed.

       Ax was dead.


	4. Megan

       NO!NO!NO! I screamed as the whole stage was engulfed in flames. An elephant barreled in and lifted me up in its trunk. 

       I have you Megan Rachel said.

       Let's bail! Jake yelled.

       NO! NO! AX! NO! I continued to scream.

       Five rhinos and elephants with one lioness made their way into the night. We didn't stop to demorph until we could barely see the smoke from the school. I was the last to demorph. As soon as I had a hand without claws I smacked Jake across the face. He staggered from the force of my blow.

       "Megan, Have you lost it?!" Marco Yelled at me.

       "NO! AX IS DEAD BECAUSE OF JAKE!" The others all became quiet.

       "Megan, that isn't true." Cassie said quietly after 5 minutes.

       "Yes it is!" Tears were streaming down my face. I angrily wiped them away with the back of my hand. "I was holding onto the ropes of all the metal and everything above Ax while he fought Hork-Bajir. Jake pushed me out of the way and it all fell on Ax. If he didn't do that, Ax would still be here!"

       "I had to make a decision." Jake mumbled. 

       "Well you made the wrong one!" I screamed.

       "MEGAN! CHILL OUT!" Rachel yelled at me. She walked up to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Jake didn't mean for Ax to die. He thought someone else would die unless you helped us. Calm down!"

       "Easy for you to say. Tobias is still alive, not burnt to a crisp." Rachel looked like she would morph to grizzly and take me down right there.

 Feather patterns started to appear across my skin. I started to shrink. My mouth became the owls' beak.

I'm leaving. If any one of you follows me, I promise you'll regret It. I took wing into the night, making no sound with my wings.

       I flew over to the woods. I stopped and demorphed, then morphed the wolf. Thick, gray fur sprouted over my whole body. My face stretched forward like a huge zit. My legs rearranged and I fell on all four paws. I took off into the night. I raced along, deeper and deeper into the woods until it was about my two-hour limit. I demorphed and remorphed, wanting to run myself out of energy. I kept on doing that until dawn.

        At dawn, I morphed the Rough-Legged Hawk and flew home. My window seat was open, which I though odd since I closed it. I darted in the window, wanting to land on my bed. But a blue furred centaur was in my way.

       Ax?! I yelled as I darted away.

       Where were you, Megan? I was waiting here all night. Ax replied calmly as if it was no biggie.

       You can't be Ax, Ax is dead.

       I Am? I did not know I was dead. Did you all mistake me for dead? What happened was as soon as metal crashed down upon me, I morphed a cockroach. The explosion blew me in the air and I escaped. The rest know I am alive, I contacted all of them. I waited for you all night. They told me you were very upset. He pawed my carpet.

       "Upset was an understatement." I said. I had demorphed. "I thought I had lost you, and you mean the world to me." I walked forward and stroked his face affectionately, as Andalites do when they love someone.

       I apologized to everyone else. Jake was rather sheepish around me for awhile after that, but it didn't last long. Jake also let me go to Ax's scoop without interjection. 

       We all received letters from the school saying that it was officially out since we demolished more than half the building. We all started doing some normal stuff, hung out, went swimming, and went camping whenever we didn't have to save the world. You know, normal stuff.

       But in the life in of an Animorph, nothing is normal for long.

_*Hey! This was my second Fanfic for the Animorphs, which in my opinion is one of the best series! I'll do two more Megan Fanfics. One for when they are hiding with the Hork-Bajir, and the other for what happens to her after the war. Thanks to all of you, especially Silent Hunter, who has given me real good opinions. But that's not bad mouthing the rest of you! Thanks for you reviews. They helped me a lot. (Not the one review that says an alien and a human together is gross. It could happen!) Ok, well until next time, fellow fans,_

_                                                                                ~Megan~*_


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